Water-softening apparatus



Apr. 17, 1923.

J. E. CAPS WATER SOFTENING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 28 1918 Patented Apr. 17, 1923.

UNITED STATES JOHN E. CAPS, OF WILMETTE, ILLINOIS.

WATER-SOFTENING APPARATUS.

Application filed October 28, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. CAPS, citizen of the United States residing at Wilmette, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Softening Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has for its object to provide a novel water softening apparatus of the type adapted to contain a water softening zeolite, such for example as glauconite treated in accordance with the disclosures of the applications of G. L. Borrowman, Patent No. 1,348,977, issued Aug. 10 1920; and of my co-pending application, latent No. 1,356,756, issued Oct. 26, 1920.

The inventionhas for its particular object, to provide a simple semi-automatic water softening apparatus of the aforesaid type in which regeneration is effected par- 26 tlally by a manual operation, followed by an automatic operation as hereinafter more fully described, whereby the apparatus is automatically restored to service after each regeneration.

he invention consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, and particularl claimed.

T e accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, shows apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention, partly in section and partly in elevation.

My said apparatus comprises a filter consisting of a c lindrical drum 1 provided with a central y located opening 2 in its bottom, adapted to be closed by means of an ordinary man-hole cover 3 of the type used in boiler construction. Said drum is further provided at its upper end with a suitable grate 4 or similar foraminous ele ment which constitutes the bottom of a hollow cover 5 adapted to contain salt. Said cover is provided with a central opening 6 in its top wall which is closed by means of a cap 7 pivotally mounted on a lever 8 having a bifurcated end 9 opposite its pivot 10 in which the shank of a pivoted andthreaded rod 11 engages, the latter being equipped Serial No. 259,901.

with a hand-wheel 12 for forcing the plate 7 down upon the annular flange bordering 'wardly extending free end portions in the mouths of which strainers may be fitted. The said pipe 14 connects with a pipe 18 equipped with a threeway valve 19 by means of which said pipes 14 and 18 connect with a service pipe 20 and a drainpipe 21. The handle 22 of the valve 19 is pivotally engaged between its ends with a plunger or piston rod 23 connected with the piston 24 reciprocable in a cylinder 25. The said cylinder is connected at respectively 0 posite ends with pipes 26 and 27 separate from each other and both connected with a pipe 28 by means of a fourway valve 29 controlled by a hand lever or stem 30. The pipe 28 connects with the water supply and is adapted to deliver water under pressure alternately to opposite ends of the cylinder 25 to effect reciprocation of the piston 24 as and for the purposes hereinafter fully described.

The pipe 28 is connected by means of a T- coupling 31 with a supply pipe 32 leading into the cover 5 above the grate 4. The pipe 32 connects with the branch-pipe 33 through the threeway valve-housing 34 controlled by the threeway valve operable by means of a lever 35. The latter is coupled with the le ver or handle 30 by means of the connecting rod 36. The pipe 33 connects with the drainpipe 21 and also by means of a T-coupling 37 with a relief pipe 38 which connects with the pipe 27 contiguous to the connection of the latter with the lower end of the cylinder 25. A check valve 39 is disposed in pipe 27 between valve 29 and the connection of the pipe 38 therewith. In said pipe 38 a cook 40 is interposed by means of which the flow of water under pressure through said pipe 38 from the cylinder 25 may be regulated and controlled as desired forthe purpose of determining the time required to cause the piston 24 to complete its upward stroke after it has been lowered, as hereinafter described. The water passing upwardly through the pipe passes from the T-coupling 37 into the drain pipe 21.

The pipe 28 is further connected by means of a Tcoupling with a small supply pipe 41 which connects with the pipe 18 between the-valve 19 and the boss 13 there being a valve 42 interposed between the ends of said pipe 41.

The cylinder or drum 1 is partially filled with a layer of rather finely crushed rock upon which a layer of fine gravel is disposed. Above the layer of gravel and substatially to the level of the grate 4 the drum or cylinder 1 is filled with the zeolite water softening substance.

The operation of my device is as follows:

Normally, the housing 1 is connected with the water supply pipe 28 from which water flows through pipe 32 into the cap or'cover 5 thence through the filter bed of zeolite, gravel and crushed rock, upwardly through the elbows 17 and pipes 16, 15, 14 and 18 and valve housing 19 to the service pipe 20 for consumption wherever desired. The water is softened during the period of its flow through the zeolite which becomes exhausted after a given amount of water has passed therethrough and has reacted thereon to become softened in the usual and well-known manner. When said zeolite is so exhausted it must be regenerated by passing brine therethrough. To this end the valve stem 35 1s raised by turning the same through an arc of about ninety degrees thereby shutting oil the flow of water into the cap or cover 5 and through the drum 1. The valve 29 is turned simultaneously with the valve 34 and causes water to flow from pipe 28 into pipe 27 and thence into the lower end of the cylinder 25, thus causing the piston 24 to rise and automatically turn the valve 19 so as to connect the pipes 18, 14, etc., with the drainpipe 21. During upward movement of the piston 24, the water in the upper end of cylinder 25 will be forced into the drainpipe 21. The cap 7 is now removed from the cover 5 and the requisite quantity of common salt is then introduced into said cover 5 and the cap 7 thereupon replaced. Then the valve stem 35 is returned to its normal position, thus re-establishing connection between the cover 5 and the water supply pipe 28. This will cause water to flow through the cap 5 and the salt therein contained, thus dissolving the latter and causing the brine thus formed to flow through the filter bed and then up through pipes 16, 15, etc. to.h drainpipe 21. As soon as the valve 29 is returned to its normal position, as shown, the pipe 28 is connected with the pipe 26 and thus with the upper end of the cylinder 25. piston 24 to be returned to This causes the masses its normal position, but in order to accomplish this, it is obviously necessary that the water in the lower end of the cylinder must be exhausted. This is resisted by cook 40 which, if closed, would obviously prevent downward movement of the piston. By very slightly opening the same the flow from the lower end of the cylinder into the drainpipe 21 will obviously be very slow and gradual, so that it will take a considerable space of time for valve 19 to be returned to its normal position to interrupt communication of the pipe 18 with the drainpipe 21 and establish connection between the same and the service pipe 20. The cock 40 is normally positioned so as to maintain the valve 19 open for a length of time suflicient to cause all of the salt contained in cap 5 to be dissolved, and to flow through the filter bed and also to permit a flow of fresh water through the filter bed following the flow of brine to fiush said bed and entirely cleanse the same of any traces of the brine. The valve 42 is normally closed but at intervals, when desired, it may be opened during periods When'the lever 35 and accordingly the handle 22 are both raised, thereby causing a flow of water in the opposite direction from normal through the pipes 18, 14, etc, and from the bottom to the top of the filter bed for the purpose of loosening up the material composing the same which is apt to become very tightly packed after one direct-ion therethrough for a long period of time and which, therefore, is apt to resist the relatively free flow ordinarily desired, thereby placing the filter bed in condition for most economic operation.

This upward flow through the filter bed also serves, as is well known, to carry off foreign matter from the upper portions of the filter bed. The water carrying this foreign matter will be drained off through the pipe 32 which connects with the drain 21 through pipe 33 when the lever 35 is disposed in the position shown in dotted lines.

While I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawings it will be obvious, of course, that the same may be changed and varied in the details without departing from the in" vention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. Water softening apparatus comprising a housin for a bed of zeolite, a salt chamber connecte therewith, means for introducing salt into said chamber at intervals, a water supply pipe connected with the chamher, and aservlce pipe connected with the ousing relatively arranged to cause water to flow throu h the bed of zeolite from the chamber to t e service pipe, a drain pipe connected with the service pipe, .a three-way valve normally maintaini the housing connected with the service pipe and adapted a continuous flow of water in to be positioned to connect the same with said container from said drain and connectthe drain pipe, fluid pressure actuated means ing it with the service pipe. for actuating said valve, connection between 3. Zeolitic water softening apparatus inthe fluid pressure actuated means and water eluding a zeolite filter bed, means for pass- 6 supply pipe, a valve controlling the same ior ing water to be softened thru the same incausing said three-way valve to be turned to eluding a service pipe, manually operable either of. its two positions, means for conmeans for passing a regenerating solution trolling the speed of movement of said threethrough the bed at intervals, fluid pressure wayvalve in one direction, a valve controlactuated means associated with and con- 10 ling the water supply-to saidchamber, and trolled by said manually operable means connection between said water-controlling for automatically effecting b -pass of the revalve and the valve controlling the pressure generating solution from t e service pipe actuated means for causing the same to open and thereafter upon manual restoration of and close in unison. said manually operable means to normal po- 2. Water softening apparatus including sition automatically restoring flow of soft a container for zeolite, a salt chamber conwater thru said service pipe. nected therewith, means for introducing salt 4. Water softening apparatus including into the latter at intervals, a water supply a zeolite filter bed, a water supply pipe and t chamber and said container respectivel from the former to the latter through said for causing water to normally pass throug bed, a salt chamber disposed between the the zeolite from the'first-named to the lastfilter bed and suppl pipe, and adapted to named pipe, manually operable means for be manually charge with salt at intervals, interruptin the connection between the a drain for the filter bed for drawing oil water supp y pipe and said chamber during brine, manually operable means for shutting intervals of introducing salt into the chamofi' flow of water during intervals of chargber, a pipe drain for said container, and a ing of said salt chamber, and fluid pressure fluid pressure actuated valve controlled by actuated means associated with said manusaid manually operable means for automatially operable means and said supply pipe cally connectingsaid containerwith said drain and controlled by the former for automatiand disconnecting the container from said cally connecting said filter bed with said service pipe as the supply of water from the dram and disconnecting it from the service supply pipe is shut oil and to maintain said pipe during a period beginnin with the connection with said drain and disconnecshutting ofi of flow from the supp y pipe and tion from said service pipe for a predeterterminating after the lapse of a predetermined interval of regeneration and flushing mined time interval after said flow from the of said container, and thereafter upon resupply pipe has been restored. turnin -said manually operated means to norma position automatically disconnecting JOHN E. CAPS.

pipe and a service pipe connected with said service pipe arranged to causewater to flow sa 

